The Living World: Ecosystems and Biodiversity Flashcards
1
Q
a system of interconnected elements: a community of living organisms and its environment
A
ecosystem
2
Q
living components of an ecosystem
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biotic
3
Q
nonliving components in an ecosystem
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abiotic
4
Q
the change in a population’s genetic composition over time
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evolution
5
Q
made to model evolution; can encompass many types of species, or can be very specific
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phylogenetic tree
6
Q
the formation of new and distinct species in the course of evolution
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speciation
7
Q
a group of organisms that are capable of breeding with one another—and incapable of breeding with other species
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species
8
Q
individual organisms that are better adapted for their environment will live and reproduce
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evolutionary fitness
9
Q
a habitat selects certain organisms to live and reproduce and others to die; beneficial characteristics are inherited and unfavorable characteristics become less common
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natural selection
10
Q
any cause that reduces reproductive success (fitness) in a portion of the population
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selective pressure
11
Q
the stock of different genes in an interbreeding population
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gene pool
12
Q
the accumulation of changes in the frequency of alleles (versions of a gene) over time due to sampling errors—changes that occur as a result of random chance
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genetic drift
13
Q
small-scale changes over a relatively short period of time in a population
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microevolution
14
Q
large-scale patterns of evolution within biological organisms over a long period of time
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macroevolution
15
Q
a species cannot adapt quickly enough to environmental change and all members of the species die
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extinction
16
Q
true extinction of a species
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biological extinction
17
Q
so few individuals of a species that the species can no longer perform its ecological function
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ecological extinction
18
Q
few individuals exist but the effort needed to locate and harvest them is not worth the expense
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commercial/economic extinction
19
Q
a group of organisms of the same species
A
population
20
Q
populations of different species occupy the same geographic area
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community
21
Q
the total sum of a species’ use of the biotic and abiotic resources in its environment
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niche
22
Q
the area of environment where an organism or ecological community normally lives or occurs
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habitat
23
Q
has a narrow niche and can only live in a certain habitat
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specialist
24
Q
has a broad niche, is highly adaptable, and can live in varied habitats
A
generalist
25
two individuals—of the same species or of different species—are competing for resources in the environment
competition
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two individuals competing are from the same species
intraspecific competition
27
two individuals competing are different species
interspecific competition
28
when two different species in a region compete and the better adapted species wins
competitive exclusion
29
no two species can occupy the same niche at the same time and that the species that is less fit to live in the environment will relocate, die out, or occupy a smaller niche
Gause’s principle
30
a species occupies a smaller niche than it would in the absence of competition
realized niche
31
the niche species would have if there was no competition
fundamental niche
32
different species use slightly different parts of the habitat, but rely on the same resource
resource partitioning
33
one species feeds on another, and it drives changes in population size
predation
34
species that feeds on other organisms
predator
35
gets eaten
prey
36
close, prolonged associations between two or more different organisms of different t species that may, but do no necessarily, benefit each member
symbiotic relationships
37
both species benefit
mutualism
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one organism benefits while the other is neither helped nor hurt
commensalism
39
one species is harmed and the other benefits
parasitism
40
ecosystems that are based on land
biomes
41
ecosystems that are based in water
aquatic life zones
42
transitional area where two ecosystems meet
ecotones
43
smaller regions within ecosystems that share similar physical features
ecozones/ecoregions
44
hardwood trees, 75-250 cm rainfall, rich soil with high organic content (NA, E, AUS, and E ASIA)
deciduous forest
45
tall trees with few lower limbs, vines, epiphytes, plants adapted to low light intensity, 200-400 cm rainfall, poor quality soil (SA, W AFR, and SE ASIA)
tropical rainforest
46
sod-forming grasses, 10-60 cm rainfall, rich soil (NA plains, prairie, and savanna, RUS steppes, SA velds, ARG pampas)
grasslands
47
coniferous trees, 20-60 cm rainfall, soil is acidic due to vegetation (N NA, N EARASIA)
coniferous forest/taiga
48
herbaceous plants, less than 25 cm rainfall, soil is permafrost (northern latitudes of NA, EUR, RUS)
tundra
49
small trees with large, hard evergreen leaves, spiny shrubs, 50-75 cm rainfall, soil is shallow and infertile (W NA, the Mediterranean region)
chaparral
50
cactus, other low-adapted plants, less than 25 cm rainfall, soil has a coarse texture (30 degrees north and south of the equator)
deserts
51
coniferous and broadleaf trees, epiphytes, mosses, ferns, and shrubs, over 140 cm rainfall, soil richer than that in tropical rainforests (NA, SA, SAFR, EUR, RUS, NE ASIA, AUS, NZ)
temperate rainforest
52
grasses with more widely spaced trees, 10-30 cm rainfall, soil is porous and has only a thin layer of humus (AUS, SAFR, IND, half of AFR
savanna
53
the uppermost and most oxygenated layer in freshwater
epilimnion
54
lower, colder, and denser layer in freshwater
hypolimnion
55
demarcation line between two layers where the temperature shifts dramatically
thermocline
56
begins with the very shallow water at the shoreline. plants and animals that reside here receives abundant sunlight. the end of this zone is defined as the depth at which rooted plants stop growing.
littoral zone
57
surface of open water; the region that extends to the depth that sunlight can penetrate. organisms that are residents in this zone tend to be short lived and rely on sunlight (i.e. phytoplankton)
limnetic zone
58
the layer where water is too deep for sunlight to penetrate. organisms adapted to little light, colder temperatures, and less oxygen reside here.
profundal zone
59
the surface and sub-surface layers of the river, lake, pond, or stream bed, characterized by very low temperatures and low oxygen levels and inhabited by organisms that live on, or below the sediment surface.
benthic zone
60
a site where the “arm” of the sea extends inland to meet the mouth of a river
estuary
61
areas along the shores of fresh bodies of water; ephemeral water bodies. includes marshes, swamps, bogs, prairie potholes, and floodplains
wetlands
62
coastal wetlands found in tropical and sub-tropical regions; characterized by trees, shrubs, and other plants that can grow in brackish tidal waters and are often located in estuaries; has a diverse animal population
mangrove swamps
63
created by the buildup of deposited sediments, their boundaries are constantly shifting as water moves around them; generally the first hit by offshore storms, important buffers for the shoreline
barrier islands
64
formed from a community of living things; cnidarians secret a hard, calciferous shell, extremely delicate and vulnerable to physical stresses
coral reef
65
ocean water closest to land; between the shore and continental shelf
coastal zone
66
the photic, upper layers of water; warmest region if ocean water, also has the highest levels if dissolved oxygen
euphotic zone
67
the middle region; colder and darker and does not receive enough light to support photosynthesis
bathyal zone
68
the deepest region of the ocean; extremely cold temperatures and low levels of dissolved oxygen
abyssal zone
69
a seasonal movement of water from the cold and nutrient-rich bottom to the surface
upwellings
70
caused by proliferation of dinoflagellates
red tide
71
nutrients move through the environment in complex cycles
biogeochemical cycles
72
a place where a large quantity of a nutrient sits for a long period of time
reservoir
73
a site where a nutrient sits for only a short period of time
exchange pool
74
the amount of time a nutrient spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool
residency time
75
matter can neither be created nor destroyed
Law of Conservation of Matter
76
when water becomes dense enough to fall to Earth because of the pull of gravity
precipitation
77
water held underground in the soul or in pores or crevices in rock
groundwater
78
the draining away of water from
| the surface of an area of land
runoff
79
water is returned to the atmosphere; can look like water vapor
evaporation
80
in plants; releases large amounts of water into the air
transpiration
81
animals and plants breathe in oxygen and give off carbon dioxide
respiration
82
plants take in carbon dioxide, water, and energy from the sun to produce carbohydrates
photosynthesis
83
the bodies of once-living organisms are buried deep and subjected to conditions of extreme heat and extreme pressure
oil, coal, and gas
84
the result of actions of certain soil bacteria; in the form of ammonia (NH3) or nitrates (NO3-)
nitrogen fixation
85
soil bacteria converts ammonia or ammonium into nitrites which is further converted to nitrate
nitrification
86
plants absorb ammonium, ammonia ions, and nitrate ions through the roots
assimilation
87
decomposing bacteria convert dead organisms and other waste to ammonia or ammonium ions, can be reused by plants or volatilized (released into atmosphere)
ammonification
88
specialized bacteria (anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia back into nitrites and nitrates, and then into nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide gas
dentrification
89
local; released from rocks forms through process of chemical weathering - released in form if phosphate which is soluble and can be absorbed from the soil by plants
phosphorus cycle
90
any factor that controls a population’s growth
limiting factor
91
happening in part of the terrestrial biosphere
terrestrial cycle
92
a body of water receives excess nutrients; causes an overgrowth of algae and depletes the water of oxygen
eutrophication
93
most in rocks and salts or buries deep in the ocean in oceanic sediments, can also be found in atmosphere; volcanic eruptions, certain bacterial functions, decomposition in estuaries, and the decay of once-living organisms
sulfur cycle
94
organisms that can produce their own organic compounds from inorganic chemicals
autotrophs
95
obtain food energy by consuming other organisms or products created by other organisms
heterotrophs
96
organisms that are capable of converting radiant energy, or chemical energy, into carbohydrates
producers
97
without oxygen
anaerobic
98
makes food from inorganic chemicals in anaerobic environments through chemosynthesis
chemotrophs
99
the amount of energy that plants pass on to the community of herbivores in an ecosystem (measured in kilocalories per square meter per year)
Net Primary Productivity (NPP)
100
amount of sugar that the plants produce in photosynthesis - amount of energy plants need for growth, maintenance, repair, and reproduction; the rate at which producers are converting solar energy to chemical energy
Gross Primary Productivity (GPP)
101
organisms that must obtain food energy from secondary sources
consumers
102
herbivores; only consumes producers
primary consumers
103
organism that consumes a primary consumer
secondary consumers
104
organism that consumes a secondary consumer
tertiary consumers
105
organisms that derive energy from consuming no living organic matter such as dead animals or fallen leaves
detritivores
106
organisms that consumes dead plant and animal material
decomposers
107
decomposers that use enzymes to break down dead organisms and absorb nutrients
saprotrophs
108
each feeding level
trophic level
109
usually represented as a series of steps, producer bottom and tertiary top
food chains
110
only 10% of energy from each previous trophic level is transferred to the present level
10% Rule
111
the amount of energy available at each trophic level organized from greatest to least
energy pyramid
112
represents feeding relationships in ecosystems more realistically
food web
113
the number and variety of organisms found within a specifies geographic region, or ecosystem
biodiversity
114
the number of different species found in an ecosystem
species richness
115
the degree to which living organisms are capable of tolerating changes in their environment
Law of Tolerance
116
living organisms will continue to live, consuming available materials until supply of these materials is exhausted
Law of the Minimum
117
a field that studies species richness and diversification in isolated communities
theory of island biogeography
118
benefits that humans receive from the ecosystems in nature when they function properly
ecosystem services
119
providing humans with water, food, medicinal resources, raw materials, energy, and ornaments
provisioning services
120
waste decomposition and detoxification, purification of water and air, pest and disease control and regulation of prey populations through predation, and carbon sequestration
regulating services
121
use of nature for science and education, therapeutic and recreational uses, and spiritual and cultural uses
cultural services
122
primary production, nutrient recycling, soil formation, and pollination
supporting services
123
species whose very presence co tributes to an ecosystem’s diversity and whose extinction would consequently lead to the extinction of other life forms
keystone species
124
species that are used as a standard to evaluate the health of an ecosystem
indicator species
125
those that originate and live or occur naturally in an area or environment
indigenous species
126
introduced species; non-native
invasive species
127
ecological succession
128
primary succession
129
secondary succession
130
pioneer species
131
climax community
132
habitat fragmentation
133
edge effect
